Walking Dead Veteran Glen Mazzara To Run The Dark Tower TV Series

Despite the wide-ranging ambitions of the Dark Tower adaptation, which still features both a cinematic and televisual element, you might think that Sony and its partners might be waiting to see how the first film does at Stateside cinemas this weekend. But you'd be wrong, as the TV version is moving forward with former The Walking Dead executive producer Glen Mazarra in charge.

Not much is known about what the final shape for the show will be, though the current idea appears to be taking aim at cable and streaming services in the States initially, for a potential 10-13 episode first run. The next step will be to find one of those outlets to carry the show in the first place.

Mazarra, who also worked on The Shield, seems excited by the chance to work on the series. "I’ve been a Stephen King fan for decades and the opportunity to adapt The Dark Tower as a TV series is a great honor," he tells The Hollywood Reporter. "The events of The Gunslinger, Wizard & Glass, T_he Wind Through The Keyhole_, and other tales need a long format to capture the complexity of Roland's coming of age – how he became the Gunslinger, how Walter became the Man in Black, and how their rivalry cost Roland everything and everyone he ever loved. I could not be more excited to tell this story. It feels like being given the key to a treasure chest. And oh yeah, we’ll have billy-bumblers!"

Idris Elba is still reportedly attached to appear as Gunslinger Roland Deschain alongside the film's Jake Chambers (Tom Taylor) and Dennis Haysbert as Roland's father. But the focus will likely be on a younger Roland. So there you go. The film version, which has been receiving some unfortunate reviews, arrives on UK screens on 18 August.

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